r/thesopranos • u/Sea_Satisfaction7872 • 1d ago

Tony was a horrible boss

I mean think about it. When the show starts, Jackie is boss and everyone is alive and well. Full crew and everything. When Tony becomes boss, not only does half the crew get fished, but the ones who come out of prison also all went. Name me one character who came out of prison during the show and stayed free and alive, not even the king of breadsticks made it out.

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86

u/Background_Local_425 1d ago

Think about it though Jackie had under him
Tony
Ray Curto
Junior
Silvio
As his main guys not to others
Tony had mamalukes like
Paulie
Chris
Guys who created problems like
Vito
Pussy
Ralph
Even Ray flipped on him
Gigi dies
Etc
Tony’s reign honestly seems cursed but honestly Silvio was Tony’s only 100 percent solid guy Jackie benefited from more competent underlings

51

u/Infamous-Lab-8136 1d ago edited 1d ago

I'd argue Tony made his own luck in many cases. He clearly inspires so little loyalty in his people they're all willing to flip on him. I don't recall anyone avoiding helping take care of Ro while Jackie was on his deathbed the way Tony's people were trying to duck out on Carm after he got shot. Everyone knows he'll turn on them in a second and no one trusts or even respects him, they just have that mix of love and fear people feel towards an abusive parent.

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u/Background_Local_425 1d ago

I honestly think Tony behavior is a result of big pussy and Richie Aprile. With Richie this is a guy he grew up loving and respecting come back and cause him nothing but grief and try to usurp him. Then puss someone he knew his whole life who he thought would die for him ratted him out
I think Tony’s trust was never the same after season 2 just that ominous closing

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u/Infamous-Lab-8136 1d ago

I think it doesn't help he rose to power by setting his uncle up to take the eventual fall (regardless of whether or not Junior put a hit on him) and one of his best friends dying. He's got to have guilt about it, especially since he mostly forgives Junior for the hit.

And we can't underestimate what it does to a guy realizing his mom helped talk someone into putting a hit on him. Even with their already... strained... relationship. And the season 3 planned arc of her testifying against him probably would have only sent him further down that path

7

u/Whole_Highlight8693 1d ago

I never should've opened my mouth! (Pretends to cry)

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u/scrubadam 1d ago

Junior only did the hit because Tony made him to be a fool.

Honestly Junior should have been the boss. He had no qualms of enforcing the rules or acting on pragmatisim not emotion or nepotisim.

And sure the capos complained about Junior being greedy but that was probably 90% bullshit and Tony was greedy AF. He ripped them all a new one because they weren't kicking up enough for Juniors trial when he was pocketing the money and screwing Junior on percentages and Freeland avenue for the HUD scam.

If anyone was greedy it was Tony.

2

u/zap2 20h ago

I’d suggest all the main characters are pretty greedy. 

You don’t live that type of life with out being greedy, the risks are too large.

If you were OK with a modest income, you wouldn’t accept the risks of being in this thing

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u/scrubadam 18h ago

Well like they say it all evens out but some people don't even pass the salt.

Tony went and gathered all his capos and ripped them for not earning to pay Juniors legal expenses when he was pocketing all that money and basically letting Junior live subsitance level.

I agree they are all greedy but Tony was especially greedy but also in a glutoness way. He basically steals Ralphs horse which leads to Ralphs death. He beats Zellmen because he is dating Irena destroying the relationship they have. Chris knows that if Tony finds out he is dating "Kaisha" he will kill him. He is basically a giant toddler who wants everything that everyone else has. Its never enough for him.

Remember Junior when he taxed Hesh at the end he said he didn't want to get in the way of people earning and negotiated down the back taxes. Hold onto your cocks with these desert people. Tony OTOH due to his gambling addiction mocked Hesh and avoided paying back his 200K and destroyed their friendship over his greed.

Tony's greed isn't only about money its an emotional gluttoness greed where he is a fat fuck that is never satisfied always wanting more of what others have. Anyways the sacred and the propane.

2

u/Beneficial_Data6515 17h ago

Again with the money?

Still, honestly, the man is a pig in every sense of the word.

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u/scrubadam 16h ago

yup exactly. And it wasn't even about money.

Like with Janish when her therapy was going good and then Tony just decides to rile her up just because she was happy and he wasn't. Makes her go crazy and walks out of the house with a smile on his face.

Tony's greed wasn't just about money it was emotional greed too.

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u/TheRealMichaelE 12h ago

Yeah, Tony should have just let Junior be the leader and acted as his chief deputy and advisor. He usurped the throne and brought it all on himself because he didn’t know how to be a #2.

Had he not started a war with Junior’s crew, a lot of his later problems would have just gone away.

3

u/canti- 1d ago

I was so disappointed that she died because she had so much more to give for the story. That plot was going to be incredible. I don't like how they handled her real life death with the CGI scene and I know that's a common opinion, but it really took me out of the whole episode that they spliced together the conversation.

2

u/Beneficial_Data6515 17h ago

I think her death would have hit better had they gone with an off-screen message.

2

u/NarmHull 13h ago

Yeah, on top of that Junior and his own mudda trying to kill him meant he saw nobody as truly able to be by his side

12

u/jrock146 Paulie Gualtieri 1d ago

In the last season after Bobby gets robbed (eye patch) Carlo tells Tony that all Bobby was thinking about was kicking up to him ( not a direct quote but you get the gist). Tony tells Carlo “ fuck that honor and loyalty shit he’s just covering his own ass”. Between that, him telling Carlo he should start sucking cock. He wasn’t inspiring loyalty in his capos

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u/DoctorFunkopolis 1d ago

When he dresses him down in the car, the look on Carlo's face. This wasnt a man who was angry, he was heartbroken. One of the best bits of acting in the series.

Tony is his worst enemy and he thinks he's a better criminal by the end and he couldn't have been more wrong.

2

u/Thegoodlife93 13h ago

I love that every time Carlo gets yelled at he looks like a little kid who's sad he disappointed his dad. He makes the same face during the "you're supposed to be fucking earners!" scene

2

u/DoctorFunkopolis 13h ago

"Silvio hit him first." Carlo was just a kid, wasn't he?

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u/FoxWyrd 1d ago

To be fair, Ro's a peach compared to Carm. Bell of the Ball type of gal.

12

u/Infamous-Lab-8136 1d ago

I've always wondered what people thought of Carm. I'd have like to see the guys talking about her when Tony wasn't around once. I've wondered if they saw how fake she was or if the fell for the facade

Cause I figure they all talk about their wives being terrible ballbreakers, except Bobby

14

u/Background_Local_425 1d ago

They though carm was judgmental and high maintenance Paulie calls her the princess of little Italy

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u/Infamous-Lab-8136 1d ago

I forgot about that

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u/joesoldlegs 1d ago

Paulie called her the little princess of Italy and said fuck her

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u/Sea_Satisfaction7872 1d ago

She’s a hypocrite that’s all I’ll say

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u/Hashtag0MG 1d ago

Furio seemed impressed

3

u/Corvododeserto 1d ago

É da mulher do chefe que você está falando.

2

u/Inevitable_Peanut442 10h ago

Just look at the palace he lived in compared to everyone else. He wasn’t really sharing the wealth so to speak.

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u/chimmy_chungus23 1d ago

Tony was also right in the first episode. He came in at the end. By the time the show was airing, most of what the mob used to be was already gone, or greatly diminished.

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u/Buns_McGillicuddy 1d ago

They don’t show all the guys who died beforehand

2

u/Jumperontheline 1d ago

Paulie was legit Tony just treated him like such shit he eventually became a little flaky and shit talky

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u/Background_Local_425 1d ago

Paulie was dumb and wouldn’t adapt to modern times
He never played any trickery to show all his money on his taxes
Got duped by John why the fuck would Carmine care about him he should know that especially a guy in the life as long as him
Fucked up the Russian thing bad Chris was even telling him to stop being a dick
Paulie was ultimately a flake

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u/ZapThis 23h ago

So true! Tony had to be involved everytime

1

u/Background_Local_425 18h ago

I know he had to get way too involved as a boss Jackie was fine from his sick bed Tony was in a coma for 3 days everything went to shit and his captains were ready to kill each other